High school students are invited to enter the 2026 Northern District of California Civics Contest. This local contest is the first stage of the 2026 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest. The theme of this year’s essay and video contest is “LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS - Your Voice. Your Story. Your America”. The theme commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and invites students to reflect on these important principles.
Entries will be accepted beginning January 7, 2026, with a submission deadline of March 6, 2026.
Finalists in the Northern District of California’s local contest will be awarded $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second place, and $1,000 for third place (shared between contestants for group video entries), and an opportunity to compete in the circuit-wide contest. To be eligible to compete in the Northern District of California’s local contest, students must reside in one of these counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, or Sonoma.
For information on the contest rules and entry instructions, please visit https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/civicscontest/.
Questions about the district-level contest may be directed to jennifer_dale@cand.uscourts.gov.